When Labour came to power in 1997, few teachers had laptops, fewer still had an online connection and most computers, where they existed, were kept in a specialised suite that had to be booked weeks in advance. Pre-broadband, "wireless" still meant radio. Now, 13 years on with a new government promising funding cuts and policy changes, where are schools with technology and, more importantly, where do they want to go?

ICT has become so embedded in most subjects that it is taken for granted, especially by pupils. "We have better resourced schools than ever before," says Mary Copeland, head of Belle Vue girls school in Bradford. "Thanks to local authorities and the regional broadband consortia, we have high-quality broadband connectivity, data projectors and interactive whiteboards in most classrooms, effective development of learning platforms [and] a better trained workforce.

"The last 11 years have been very successful in enabling schools to build a modern infrastructure and to develop learning and teaching, of and with, ICT very effectively."

Michael Gove: funding review

But as Michael Gove – a politician notoriously tight-lipped about his attitude to technology - settles in as the new schools secretary, he will be evaluating how much funding schools will be allocated for ICT.

Already, the newly named Department for Education is reviewing the £55bn Building Schools for the Future programme, with insiders saying some savings from the annual £8.5bn new school budget could go towards the Conservatives' plan to start Swedish-style new schools. "The issue now is one of being able to maintain that standard, if budgets are constrained or reduced," says Copeland.

Little wonder, then, that teachers, long used to generous budgets for new technology, are starting to fret about the future. "Clearly, infrastructure gets outdated very quickly, that's a real issue," says Paul Butler, an ICT teacher at Didcot girls' school in Oxfordshire. "Because of the national debt, there isn't going to be as much money around. That's going to be a worry."

"Costs are likely to increase in the future," says James Mathrick, leader for learning in ICT and a year 3-4 teacher at Westover primary in Portsmouth. "Funding needs to match this, if we are to come to and stay at the cutting edge of technology."

'Wish list'

However, teachers like Mathrick remain positive. In a notional "wish list" to the new government, he says he wants to see a curriculum "focused on generic and transferable skills, rather than technology-specific objectives; integrated across the curriculum, with relevance to economical viability; and reflecting the fast-paced and ever-changing technological world." But it needs to be flexible, "enabling ICT leaders and teachers in school to adapt the learning to meet the needs and requirements of their cohorts". The extent, "to which our pupils are using, engaging with, and discussing technology is often beyond the scope of their teachers," he says.

Many of Mathrick's peers feel that, rather than cut back on technology, we should increase it. "We've got to educate them in a way that is outward-looking and creative and have technology as much as a part of it as paper was in the 1980s," says Ian Usher, e-learning co-ordinator for Buckinghamshire county council. "It's got to be as embedded as that."

Ring-fenced funding

Despite such enthusiasm, many feel money has been squandered under Labour in cases such as the demise of BBC Jam and wasteful use of some e-learning credits.

Despite such boundless enthusiasm for ICT, others feel money was also squandered under Labour. The demise of the online digital curriculum service, BBC Jam, the recent collapse of Studywiz - whose parent company Etech went under after receiving generous funding from both local authorities and central government, and the sometimes wasteful use of e-learning credits also defined Labour's policy. Thankfully, Studywiz is still operating, with a management buy-out designed to ensure that users of the Becta-approved virtual learning environment will continue to receive service and support. Teachers who had invested time in BBC Jam were less fortunate.

BBC Jam: a new point for Labour

"Money at school level has not always been targeted where the benefits for learners would have been greatest, because the capability of a school to effectively manage ICT is incredibly variable," says Tim Scratcherd of the School House Partnership, an education consultancy in Brighouse, West Yorkshire.

It is that profligacy, perceived or real, that tempts thoughts of cuts. So if Gove plans a reduction in the schools ICT budget, what should be protected?

"Local authority advisory support," says Mark Chambers, chair of Naace (National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education). "Funding needs to be ring-fenced . . . at a school and local authority level, if we are to maintain our competitive edge on creative ICT with Pacific Rim countries, eastern Europe or the US."

James Langley, a primary ICT teacher in Bradford, sees as key a continuation of the Harnessing Technology grant programme that supports school connectivity, infrastsrucutre and digital learning resources. "Capital funding for ICT has been a critical element in enabling the current level of development," he says. "Potential loss of future grant [funding] has significant implications for ICT funding and provision, especially in primary schools."

Becta's role

And what of Becta - the government agency that has done much to furnish British schools with ICT over the last decade? Becta is a quango and as such will be under close scrutiny in coming weeks. "There is a future role for an agency like Becta," says Paul Kelly, headteacher of Monkseaton high school, near Whitley Bay in Tyneside, " . . . but Becta needs to work with a trusted network of schools and trusts so they share the research and development role."

* What do readers think? Take part in our poll/survey to underlineyour priorities for the new government. What areas should bering-fenced against cuts? Does Becta have a future? Which previousgovernment policies should be continued? Who should be responsible for procuring ICT equipment to get best value for money for schools? Give your views on these and other questions here and add your comments after polling.